Prioritizing transmissions based on user engagement

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for transmitting events. The systems and methods include operations for: receiving data indicating a level of user engagement with a messaging application for a given user; determining that the level of user engagement is below a specified threshold; prioritizing a plurality of events, associated with the messaging application, for transmission to a client device of the given user in response to determining that the level of user engagement is below the specified threshold; and transmitting a first event of the plurality of events to the client device based on prioritizing the plurality of events.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/808,183, filed on Mar. 3, 2020, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field ofsocial networks. In particular, the present embodiments are generallydirected to managing message transmission.

BACKGROUND

As the popularity of social networking grows, social networks areexpanding their capabilities. To improve ease of use, social networksare integrating more and more functions such that a user may accomplishmany or even most of their computer-based tasks within the socialnetwork itself. One vision of social networks is that they eventuallybecome a virtual operating system, from which a user seldom finds a needto remove themselves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numeralsmay describe similar components in different views. To easily identifythe discussion of any particular element or act, the most significantdigit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number inwhich that element is first introduced. Some embodiments are illustratedby way of example, and not limitation, in the figures of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example messaging system forexchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating data which may be stored inthe database of a messaging server system, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a messagegenerated by a messaging client application for communication, accordingto example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example message transmissionsystem, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating example operations of the messagetransmission system, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a representative softwarearchitecture, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine able toread instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., amachine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, according to example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes systems, methods, techniques,instruction sequences, and computing machine program products thatembody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In the followingdescription, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide an understanding of variousembodiments. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art,that embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Ingeneral, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, andtechniques are not necessarily shown in detail.

Often, users consume media content, and specifically videos, on a userdevice, such as a mobile device. Such media content is typicallyexchanged in chat sessions between users. Sometimes users log on and logoff a server that maintains the contents of the chat sessions. In orderto ensure that the latest chat messages, that were exchanged in the chatsession while the user device has been disconnected from the server, arepresented to the user, a user device synchronizes with the server. Thereare many different ways to synchronize data between a user device and aserver or of delivering messages to user devices. One way to deliver themessages is over a synchronization session which may occur periodicallyor in response to a specific user request. Another way is using athird-party push notification application to deliver the messages.Another way is to use a persistent bi-directional communication linkbetween client devices to deliver the messages. Each different way todeliver the messages consumes a different amount of processingresources, battery, and network bandwidth and is associated with adifferent level of interruption to the users. Overusing one mechanism todeliver messages to the users can end up being counterproductive andfrustrating to the users if the mechanism chosen to deliver the messagescauses too much interruptions for the users. Selecting the optimal wayto deliver messages to the users while minimizing the level ofinterruption of the users introduces various challenges.

The disclosed embodiments improve the efficiency of using the userdevice by providing a system that efficiently controls how and whencertain information is sent to a user, particularly which events adelivered to a given user and what mode of transmission is used todeliver such events based on a level of user engagement. According tothe disclosed system, the level of user engagement with a messagingapplication is determined based on received data. The received data isgenerated by analyzing various user activities the user performs on agiven user device. The disclosed system prioritizes events, associatedwith the messaging application, for transmission to the given userdevice based on the level of user engagement. Specifically, a firstevent associated with a first priority may be selected for transmissionto the given user device over a second message associated with a secondpriority if the level of user engagement falls below a specifiedthreshold.

The first event is transmitted to the user device over one of aplurality of channels that is selected based on the level of userengagement. Such channels can include real-time peer-to-peerconnections, push notifications, and information that is pulled from theserver in a synchronization operation. In particular, a first channelassociated with a first priority may be selected for transmitting thefirst event to the given client device over a second channel associatedwith a second priority if the level of user engagement falls below thespecified threshold. In this way, the disclosed system prioritizeschannels for transmission of events based on levels of user engagementand avoids overusing certain channels and overconsumption of resourcesassociated with such channels. Namely, rather than sending all messagesover a second channel that consumes more resources than a first channel,use of the second channel is preserved for transmitting messages thatare assigned a high priority or if a user engagement falls below athreshold. This reduces costs, inefficient use of resources, andinterruptions to users and increases the overall efficiencies of thesystem.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example messaging system 100 forexchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network106. The messaging system 100 includes multiple client devices 102(e.g., user devices), each of which hosts a number of applications,including a messaging client application 104 and a third-partyapplication 105. Each messaging client application 104 iscommunicatively coupled to other instances of the messaging clientapplication 104, the third-party application 105, and a messaging serversystem 108 via a network 106 (e.g., the Internet).

Accordingly, each messaging client application 104 and third-partyapplication 105 is able to communicate and exchange data with anothermessaging client application 104 and third-party application(s) 105 andwith the messaging server system 108 via the network 106. The dataexchanged between messaging client applications 104, third-partyapplications 105, and the messaging server system 108 includes functions(e.g., commands to invoke functions) and payload data (e.g., text,audio, video, or other multimedia data). Any disclosed communicationsbetween the messaging client application 104 and the third-partyapplication(s) 105 can be transmitted directly from the messaging clientapplication 104 to the third-party application(s) 105 or indirectly(e.g., via one or more servers) from the messaging client application104 to the third-party application(s) 105.

The third-party application(s) 105 and the messaging client application104 are applications that include a set of functions that allow theclient device 102 to access a message transmission system 124. Thethird-party application 105 is an application that is separate anddistinct from the messaging client application 104. The third-partyapplication(s) 105 are downloaded and installed by the client device 102separately from the messaging client application 104. In someimplementations, the third-party application(s) 105 are downloaded andinstalled by the client device 102 before or after the messaging clientapplication 104 is downloaded and installed. The third-party application105 is an application that is provided by an entity or organization thatis different from the entity or organization that provides the messagingclient application 104.

The third-party application 105 is an application that can be accessedby a client device 102 using separate login credentials than themessaging client application 104. Namely, the third-party application105 can maintain a first user account and the messaging clientapplication 104 can maintain a second user account. For example, thethird-party application 105 can be a social networking application, adating application, a ride or car sharing application, a shoppingapplication, a trading application, a gaming application, or an imagingapplication. The third-party application 105 can be an operating systemapplication or process, such as a push notification application.

The messaging server system 108 provides server-side functionality viathe network 106 to a particular messaging client application 104. Whilecertain functions of the messaging system 100 are described herein asbeing performed by either a messaging client application 104 or by themessaging server system 108, it will be appreciated that the location ofcertain functionality either within the messaging client application 104or the messaging server system 108 is a design choice. For example, itmay be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technology andfunctionality within the messaging server system 108, but to latermigrate this technology and functionality to the messaging clientapplication 104 where a client device 102 has a sufficient processingcapacity.

The messaging server system 108 supports various services and operationsthat are provided to the messaging client application 104. Suchoperations include transmitting data to, receiving data from, andprocessing data generated by the messaging client application 104. Thisdata may include message content, client device information, geolocationinformation, media annotation and overlays, virtual objects, messagecontent persistence conditions, social network information, and liveevent information, as examples. Data exchanges within the messagingsystem 100 are invoked and controlled through functions available viauser interfaces (UIs) of the messaging client application 104.

Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108, an APIserver 110 is coupled to, and provides a programmatic interface to, anapplication server 112. The application server 112 is communicativelycoupled to a database server 118, which facilitates access to a database120 in which is stored data associated with messages processed by theapplication server 112. Any system, application, or componentimplemented by the application server 112 may be in the alternative orin addition be implemented on respective client devices 102. As anexample, the message transmission system 124 may be implementedexclusive or in combination on the application server 112 or on a givenclient device 102.

Dealing specifically with the API server 110, this server 110 receivesand transmits message data (e.g., commands and message payloads) betweenthe client device 102 and the application server 112. Specifically, theAPI server 110 provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines andprotocols) that can be called or queried by the messaging clientapplication 104 and the third-party application 105 in order to invokefunctionality of the application server 112. The API server 110 exposesvarious functions supported by the application server 112, includingaccount registration; login functionality; the sending of messages, viathe application server 112, from a particular messaging clientapplication 104 to another messaging client application 104 orthird-party application 105; the sending of media files (e.g., images orvideo) from a messaging client application 104 to the messaging serverapplication 114, and for possible access by another messaging clientapplication 104 or third-party application 105; the setting of acollection of media data (e.g., story); the retrieval of suchcollections; the retrieval of a list of friends of a user of a clientdevice 102; the retrieval of messages and content; the adding anddeleting of friends to a social graph; the location of friends within asocial graph; access to user conversation data; access to avatarinformation stored on messaging server system 108; and opening anapplication event (e.g., relating to the messaging client application104).

The application server 112 hosts a number of applications andsubsystems, including a messaging server application 114, an imageprocessing system 116, a social network system 122, and the messagetransmission system 124. The messaging server application 114 implementsa number of message processing technologies and functions, particularlyrelated to the aggregation and other processing of content (e.g.,textual and multimedia content) included in messages received frommultiple instances of the messaging client application 104. As will bedescribed in further detail, the text and media content from multiplesources may be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., calledstories or galleries). These collections are then made available, by themessaging server application 114, to the messaging client application104. Other processor- and memory-intensive processing of data may alsobe performed server-side by the messaging server application 114, inview of the hardware requirements for such processing.

The application server 112 also includes an image processing system 116that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations,typically with respect to images or video received within the payload ofa message at the messaging server application 114. A portion of theimage processing system 116 may also be implemented by the messagetransmission system 124.

The social network system 122 supports various social networkingfunctions and services and makes these functions and services availableto the messaging server application 114. To this end, the social networksystem 122 maintains and accesses an entity graph within the database120. Examples of functions and services supported by the social networksystem 122 include the identification of other users of the messagingsystem 100 with which a particular user has relationships or is“following” and also the identification of other entities and interestsof a particular user. Such other users may be referred to as the user'sfriends. Social network system 122 may access location informationassociated with each of the user's friends to determine where they liveor are currently located geographically. Social network system 122 maymaintain a location profile for each of the user's friends indicatingthe geographical location where the user's friends live.

The application server 112 is communicatively coupled to a databaseserver 118, which facilitates access to a database 120 in which isstored data associated with messages processed by the messaging serverapplication 114. Database 120 may be a third-party database. Forexample, the application server 112 may be associated with a firstentity, and the database 120 or a portion of the database 120 may beassociated with and hosted by a second, different entity. In someimplementations, database 120 stores user data that the first entitycollects about various each of the users of a service provided by thefirst entity. For example, the user data includes usernames, passwords,addresses, friends, activity information, preferences, videos or contentconsumed by the user, and so forth.

The application server 112 also includes a message transmission system124 that manages transmission of events, conversations or messages (orcombination thereof) exchanged in a communication session based on userengagement levels. Portions of the message transmission system 124 canbe deployed or implemented by respective client devices 102 while otherportions can be deployed and implemented by the server 112. FIG. 4 is ablock diagram showing an example message transmission system 124,according to example embodiments. Message transmission system 124includes a metrics collection module 414, a user engagement module 416,and a message transmission module 418.

Metrics collection module 414 includes one or more components or systemsthat run partially on the client devices 102 and partially on servers(e.g., messaging server system 108) to collect metrics about useractivity. Also, metrics collection module 414 includes one or morecomponents or systems that run exclusively on the client devices 102 orexclusively on the servers to collect metrics about user activity. Themetrics collection module 414 analyzes user activities of each user ofthe messaging client application 104 across their respective clientdevices 102. As an example, the metrics collection module 414 measuresat least one of frequency of loading the messaging client application104 on the given client device 102, frequency of sending messages on thegiven client device 102 using the messaging client application 104,recency of accessing the messaging client application 104 on the givenclient device 102, likelihood of the given user uninstalling themessaging client application 104, likelihood of the given user mutingnotifications for the messaging client application 104, or viewingmessages on the messaging client application 104 or other suitableactivity.

The metrics collection module 414 can measure the frequency of loadingthe messaging client application 104 on the given client device 102 byaccessing a set of timestamps indicating when an icon representing themessaging client application 104 was selected on the given client device102. The metrics collection module 414 analyzes the set of timestamps tocompute the frequency of loading the messaging client application 104.For example, the metrics collection module 414 determines that eachtimestamp is associated with a different day of the week. In this case,the metrics collection module 414 determines that the frequency is oneday per week or daily. As another example, the metrics collection module414 determines that each timestamp is associated with a different hourin a day. In this case, the metrics collection module 414 determines thefrequency is hourly. A low frequency of loading the messaging clientapplication 104 (e.g., once per week) may be indicative of a low levelof user engagement. A medium frequency of loading the messaging clientapplication 104 (e.g., once per day) may be indicative of a medium levelof user engagement. A high frequency of loading the messaging clientapplication 104 (e.g., once per hour) may be indicative of a high levelof user engagement.

The metrics collection module 414 can measure the frequency of sendingmessages or viewing messages on the given client device 102 using themessaging client application 104 by accessing a set of timestampsindicating when the user of the client device 102 sent a message orviewed messages in one or more conversations in which the userparticipates in the messaging client application 104. The metricscollection module 414 analyzes the set of timestamps to compute thefrequency of sending messages or viewing messages. For example, themetrics collection module 414 determines that each timestamp isassociated with a different day of the week. In this case, the metricscollection module 414 determines that the frequency is one day per weekor daily. As another example, the metrics collection module 414determines that each timestamp is associated with a different hour in aday. In this case, the metrics collection module 414 determines thefrequency is hourly. A low frequency of sending messages or viewingmessages (e.g., once per week) may be indicative of a low level of userengagement. A medium frequency of sending messages or viewing messages(e.g., once per day) may be indicative of a medium level of userengagement. A high frequency of sending messages or viewing messages(e.g., once per hour) may be indicative of a high level of userengagement.

The metrics collection module 414 can measure the recency of accessingthe messaging client application 104 on the given client device 102 byaccessing a set of timestamps indicating when the user of the clientdevice 102 last had an interaction within the messaging clientapplication 104 after launching the messaging client application 104.The interaction can include viewing a video or other media item on themessaging client application 104, listening to an audio message,searching for content, browsing for content, updating a profile, orotherwise making any sort of selection of an option in the messagingclient application 104. The metrics collection module 414 analyzes theset of timestamps to compute the frequency of accessing the messagingclient application 104. For example, the metrics collection module 414determines that each timestamp is associated with a different day of theweek. In this case, the metrics collection module 414 determines thatthe frequency is one day per week or daily. As another example, themetrics collection module 414 determines that each timestamp isassociated with a different hour in a day. In this case, the metricscollection module 414 determines the frequency is hourly. A lowfrequency of accessing the messaging client application 104 (e.g., onceper week) may be indicative of a low level of user engagement. A mediumfrequency of accessing the messaging client application 104 (e.g., onceper day) may be indicative of a medium level of user engagement. A highfrequency of accessing the messaging client application 104 (e.g., onceper hour) may be indicative of a high level of user engagement.

The metrics collection module 414 can measure the likelihood of thegiven user uninstalling the messaging client application 104 from theclient device 102 of the given user. The metrics collection module 414may analyze patterns of behavior of the given user and compare suchpatterns against patterns of behavior of various other users who havepreviously uninstalled the messaging client application 104. If none ofthe patterns of behavior of the given user matches the patterns ofbehavior of the various other users, a low likelihood of the given useruninstalling the messaging client application 104 may be determined. Ifa first number or amount of the patterns of behavior of the given usermatches the patterns of behavior of the various other users, a mediumlikelihood of the given user uninstalling the messaging clientapplication 104 may be determined. If a second number or amount, greaterthan the first number of amount, of the patterns of behavior of thegiven user matches the patterns of behavior of the various other users,a high likelihood of the given user uninstalling the messaging clientapplication 104 may be determined.

The metrics collection module 414 can measure the likelihood of thegiven user muting notifications for the messaging client application104. The metrics collection module 414 may analyze patterns of behaviorof the given user and compare such patterns against patterns of behaviorof various other users who have previously muting notifications for themessaging client application 104. If none of the patterns of behavior ofthe given user matches the patterns of behavior of the various otherusers, a low likelihood of the given user muting notifications for themessaging client application 104 may be determined. If a first number oramount of the patterns of behavior of the given user matches thepatterns of behavior of the various other users, a medium likelihood ofthe given user muting notifications for the messaging client application104 may be determined. If a second number or amount, greater than thefirst number of amount, of the patterns of behavior of the given usermatches the patterns of behavior of the various other users, a highlikelihood of the given user muting notifications for the messagingclient application 104 may be determined.

The metrics collection module 414 provides the data associated with theuser activity to a central processing system. The central processingsystem may be implemented by application server 112 or on a third-partysystem or combination thereof. The central processing system applies oneor more models to the collection of user activity to generate a level ofuser engagement for each user of the messaging client application 104.The user engagement module 416 receives the level of user engagement foreach user of the messaging client application 104. The user engagementmodule 416 selectively and dynamically processes messages or events (orboth) for transmission to users based on the level of user engagement.

For example, the user engagement module 416 selects events fortransmission to a user based on a priority of the events, such that onlyimportant events (or events of a certain type) are transmitted to a userwho is associated with a low level of user engagement or such thatimportant events (or only events of a certain type) are transmittedprior to less important events to a user who is associated with a lowlevel of user engagement.

As another example, the user engagement module 416 selects a mode oftransmission of events to a given user of a client device 102 based onthe level of user engagement. Specifically, if the level of userengagement falls below the specified threshold, the user engagementmodule 416 instructs the message transmission module 418 to use a firstmode of transmission (e.g., a first channel) to transmit one or moreevents to the given client device 102. If the level of user engagementdoes not fall below the specified threshold, the user engagement module416 instructs the message transmission module 418 to maintain a secondmode of transmission (e.g., a second channel) to transmit one or moreevents to the given client device 102. In some cases, the first mode oftransmission is associated with a higher cost and consumes a greaternumber of resources than the second mode of transmission. In some cases,the first mode of transmission is operated or includes using athird-party application (e.g., a push notification application) and thesecond mode of transmission is operated by the entity of the messagingclient application 104.

In some cases, the user engagement module 416 determines, based on thedata received from the central processing system, that delivering morethan a threshold number of events to the given client device 102 withina given period of time increases a likelihood of the given useruninstalling the messaging client application 104 or mutingnotifications for the messaging client application 104. Specifically,the user engagement module 416 may analyze patterns of behavior ofvarious users to determine that after having more than twenty messagesdelivered in a given hour to the users, the users either uninstalled themessaging client application 104 or muted notifications (permanently ortemporarily) for the messaging client application 104. Based on thisanalysis, if the user engagement module 416 determines that the numberof messages or events that have been delivered to the user of the clientdevice 102 is approaching the threshold number (e.g., 15 messages havealready been sent within the hour), the user engagement module 416 mayinstruct the message transmission module 418 to prevent transmittingfurther events or messages to the given client device 102.

In some cases, the user engagement module 416 instructs the messagetransmission module 418 to delay sending further messages or events fora specified interval (e.g., two-hour delay). In some cases, the userengagement module 416 instructs the message transmission module 418 toselect an alternate transmission mode for sending further messages orevents to the given client device 102. For example, the user engagementmodule 416 determines that the past 15 messages or events weretransmitted using a second channel (e.g., via a push notificationapplication or a channel with a first quality of service or firstlikelihood of message delivery). In such cases, the user engagementmodule 416 instructs the message transmission module 418 to send furthermessages or events to the given client device 102 via a first or thirdchannel (e.g., via a persistent bi-directional communication linkbetween client devices 102 or a channel with a second quality of serviceor second likelihood of message delivery lower than the first quality ofservice or first likelihood of message delivery).

The user engagement module 416 may determine whether the level of userengagement falls below a specified threshold. In some embodiments, thelevel of user engagement may be one of several values. A first value ofthe several values indicates the given user is unengaged. A second valueof the several values indicates the given user has low engagement. Athird value of the several values indicates the given user has mediumengagement. A fourth value of the several values indicates the givenuser has high engagement. In some cases, the first value is lower thanthe second value, the second value is lower than the third value, andthe third value is lower than the fourth value. In some cases, thespecified threshold includes the second value. In this case, the userengagement module 416 determines that the level of user engagement fallsbelow the specified threshold when the value of the user engagement islower than or equal to the second value.

To identify which events or messages in conversations are important toprioritize events or messages based on level of user engagement, theclient device 102 or the application server 112 (or both) employs amodel. In one example, the model includes a set of rules that specifyparameters for selecting or identifying messages that are important. Forexample, a first rule or parameter may indicate that a conversation thatincludes a set of messages that include images or videos have a higherpriority than messages that only include text. This is because theimages or videos may form part of a story and need to be viewed insequence. In such cases, the first rule specifies that the first imageor video that was exchanged in the given conversation after the lasttime the given client device 102 synchronized its content with theserver be identified as more important and be associated with a higherpriority than other messages in the conversation that were exchangedafter the last time the given client device 102 synchronized with theserver. Namely, rather than selecting the last message exchanged in theconversation as being the most important and for transmission to theclient device 102, the server 112 selects the first message in asequence of messages that were exchanged after the given client device102 last synchronized with the server and that includes images orvideos. The server 112 may identify several messages that each includeimages or videos and may select the first of the several messages (e.g.,the message with the earliest timestamp) as being the most important andfor transmission to the client device 102 based on the engagement levelfalling below a threshold.

In some cases, a second rule or parameter indicates that messages thatinclude video and audio are more important than messages that includevideo and no audio. In such cases, the second rule specifies that thefirst image or video with audio that was exchanged in the givenconversation after the last time the given client device 102synchronized its content with the server be identified as more importantthan a second image or video without audio in the conversation that wasexchanged after the last time the given client device 102 synchronizedwith the server. Namely, rather than selecting the last messageexchanged in the conversation as being the most important and fortransmission to the client device 102 based on the engagement levelfalling below a threshold, the server 112 selects the first message in asequence of messages that were exchanged after the given client device102 last synchronized with the server and that includes images or videoswith audio over messages that include images and videos without audio.

In some cases, a machine learning model (e.g., a neural network) is usedto identify patterns of user behavior that indicate a likelihood that auser is interested in a conversation or that indicate a likelihood thatone message in a conversation is more important than another message. Insome circumstances, the client device 102 or server 112 (or both)generates and trains a machine learning model on a per user basis. Themessage transmission system 124 applies the trained machine learningmodel to the set of messages that are received in one or moreconversations to identify a conversation or messages (or both) that havea high likelihood that the user is interested in accessing (e.g., alikelihood value that exceeds a threshold). The trained machine learningmodel can generate a score that indicates the likelihood for eachconversation or for each message. The likelihood is then used toassociate priorities or priority levels to each message or event that isto be transmitted to the client device 102.

In some embodiments, the user engagement module 416 selects messages orevents (or both) for transmission to users based on a level of userengagement determined for such users. For example, the user engagementmodule 416 selects a first message or event associated with a firstlevel of priority over a second message or event associated with asecond level of priority in response to determining that the level ofuser engagement falls below a specified threshold. The second level ofpriority may be lower than the first level of priority. Specifically,rather than sending the second message, by default, to the given userwhich may be the next sequentially received message in the conversation,the user engagement module 416 selects the first message fortransmission if the user engagement has fallen below a specifiedthreshold. The first message may be determined to be of greaterimportance than the second message and may increase the likelihood ofuser engagement with the messaging client application 104. In somecases, the first message may be a message that was already delivered tothe given user at a previous time. In this case, the first message maybe sent to the given user again in response to determining that the userengagement level has fallen below a specified threshold. In some cases,if the first message was previously sent to the given user over a firstmode of transmission, the user engagement module 416 may cause the firstmessage to be sent to the given user again using a different mode oftransmission (e.g., a different channel) in response to determining thatthe user engagement level has fallen below a specified threshold.

In some cases, the message transmission module 418 transmits events(e.g., messages) that are directed to a user of a given client device102 over a plurality of channels. For example, the message transmissionmodule 418 receives events over a first channel that includes a pullmechanism (e.g., when the client device 102 performs a synchronizationoperation with the server 112). Such events that are received in thepull mechanism may include messages that were exchanged in aconversation in which a user of the client device 102 is involved afterthe last time the client device 102 synchronized its data with theserver. Such events are received by the client device 102 from theserver 112 in response to a specific request by the client device 102 toperform a synchronization operation.

As another example, the message transmission module 418 transmits events(e.g., messages) over a second channel that includes a persistentbi-directional peer-to-peer link between the client device 102 of theuser and one or more other client devices 102 of other users which areinvolved in a conversation with the user. As another example, themessage transmission module 418 transmits events (e.g., messages) over athird channel that includes a push mechanism. Specifically, the clientdevice 102 may include a push notification application that is native tothe operating system of the client device 102 (e.g., a third-party pushnotification application). The push notification application may receivemessages associated with a conversation of the messaging clientapplication 104. The push notification application may provide themessages to the messaging client application 104 (e.g., to thecommunication session module 414) which then processes the messages fordisplay in a summary view, or in a conversation view, or both.

In some cases, messages or events (or both) received by the pushnotification application are instantly presented to the user of theclient device 102 concurrently with being received from the messagetransmission module 418. The events received over the first, second andthird channels may be of the same type, of different types, or of acombination of the same and different types.

In some cases, the second channel is exclusively used to exchangepresence messages or information (e.g., presence events). Presencemessages include transient information or ephemeral informationrepresenting activities of various participants in a conversation. As anexample, the presence messages indicate whether a given user in theconversation is typing, erasing, or viewing a message in a conversation.

The user engagement module 416 may instruct the message transmissionmodule 418 to select one of the first, second, and third channel as amode of transmission of an event to a given client device 102 based onthe level of user engagement. Specifically, the user engagement module416 may assign different levels of priority to each of the channels. Asan example, the user engagement module 416 may assign a first level ofpriority to the first channel, a second level of priority to the secondchannel, and a third level of priority to the third channel. The firstlevel of priority is lower than the second level of priority which islower than the third level of priority. The user engagement module 416may determine that the level of user engagement has fallen below aspecified threshold. In response, the user engagement module 416instructs the message transmission module 418 to delivery subsequentmessages or a threshold number of subsequent messages using a channelthat is associated with a higher priority than a channel that iscurrently used or a default channel. As an example, a first message orfirst event is, by default, sent to the client device 102 over thesecond channel associated with a second level of priority. After thefirst message or first event is sent to the client device 102, the userengagement module 416 determines that the level of user engagement hasfallen below a specified threshold. In response to the user engagementmodule 416 instructs the message transmission module 418 to use a firstchannel associated with a first level of priority instead of the secondchannel for sending a second message or second event that is directed toa user of the client device 102 and that is received after the firstmessage or first event. Because the first channel is associated with ahigher likelihood of delivery or a higher quality of service, thelikelihood that the user engagement level will increase is higher if thesecond message or event is sent via the first channel instead of thesecond channel. Subsequently, if the user engagement increases above thespecified threshold, a third message or event that follows the secondmessage may resume being transmitted via the second channel instead ofthe first channel. In this way, overuse of channels that consume a greatdeal of resources is avoided and limited to being used to reach userswho are determined to have a low level of user engagement with themessaging client application 104.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram 200 illustrating data, which may be storedin the database 120 of the messaging server system 108, according tocertain example embodiments. While the content of the database 120 isshown to comprise a number of tables, it will be appreciated that thedata could be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., as anobject-oriented database).

The database 120 includes message data stored within a message table214. An entity table 202 stores entity data, including an entity graph204. Entities for which records are maintained within the entity table202 may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects,places, events, and so forth. Regardless of type, any entity regardingwhich the messaging server system 108 stores data may be a recognizedentity. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier, as well as anentity type identifier (not shown).

The entity graph 204 stores information regarding relationships andassociations between entities. Such relationships may be social,professional (e.g., work at a common corporation or organization),interest-based, or activity-based, merely for example.

Message table 214 may store a collection of conversations between a userand one or more friends or entities. Message table 214 may includevarious attributes of each conversation, such as the list ofparticipants, the size of the conversation (e.g., number of users ornumber of messages), the chat color of the conversation, a uniqueidentifier for the conversation, and any other conversation relatedfeature(s).

The database 120 also stores annotation data, in the example form offilters, in an annotation table 212. Database 120 also stores annotatedcontent received in the annotation table 212. Filters for which data isstored within the annotation table 212 are associated with and appliedto videos (for which data is stored in a video table 210) or images (forwhich data is stored in an image table 208) or both. Filters, in oneexample, are overlays that are displayed as overlaid on an image orvideo during presentation to a recipient user. Filters may be of varioustypes, including user-selected filters from a gallery of filterspresented to a sending user by the messaging client application 104 whenthe sending user is composing a message. Other types of filters includegeolocation filters (also known as geo-filters), which may be presentedto a sending user based on geographic location. For example, geolocationfilters specific to a neighborhood or special location may be presentedwithin a UI by the messaging client application 104, based ongeolocation information determined by a Global Positioning System (GPS)unit of the client device 102. Another type of filter is a data filter,which may be selectively presented to a sending user by the messagingclient application 104, based on other inputs or information gathered bythe client device 102 during the message creation process. Examples ofdata filters include current temperature at a specific location, acurrent speed at which a sending user is traveling, battery life for aclient device 102, or the current time.

Other annotation data that may be stored within the image table 208 isso-called “lens” data. A “lens” may be a real-time special effect andsound that may be added to an image or a video.

As mentioned above, the video table 210 stores video data which, in oneembodiment, is associated with messages for which records are maintainedwithin the message table 214. Similarly, the image table 208 storesimage data associated with messages for which message data is stored inthe entity table 202. The entity table 202 may associate variousannotations from the annotation table 212 with various images and videosstored in the image table 208 and the video table 210.

A story table 206 stores data regarding collections of messages andassociated image, video, or audio data, which are compiled into acollection (e.g., a story or a gallery). The creation of a particularcollection may be initiated by a particular user (e.g., each user forwhich a record is maintained in the entity table 202). A user may createa “personal story” in the form of a collection of content that has beencreated and sent/broadcast by that user. To this end, the UI of themessaging client application 104 may include an icon that isuser-selectable to enable a sending user to add specific content to hisor her personal story.

A collection may also constitute a “live story,” which is a collectionof content from multiple users that is created manually, automatically,or using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example,a “live story” may constitute a curated stream of user-submitted contentfrom various locations and events. Users whose client devices 102 havelocation services enabled and are at a common location event at aparticular time may, for example, be presented with an option, via a UIof the messaging client application 104, to contribute content to aparticular live story. The live story may be identified to the user bythe messaging client application 104 based on his or her location. Theend result is a “live story” told from a community perspective.

A further type of content collection is known as a “location story,”which enables a user whose client device 102 is located within aspecific geographic location (e.g., on a college or university campus)to contribute to a particular collection. In some embodiments, acontribution to a location story may require a second degree ofauthentication to verify that the end user belongs to a specificorganization or other entity (e.g., is a student on the universitycampus).

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message 300,according to some embodiments, generated by a messaging clientapplication 104 for communication to a further messaging clientapplication 104 or the messaging server application 114. The content ofa particular message 300 is used to populate the message table 214stored within the database 120, accessible by the messaging serverapplication 114. Similarly, the content of a message 300 is stored inmemory as “in-transit” or “in-flight” data of the client device 102 orthe application server 112. The message 300 is shown to include thefollowing components:

-   -   A message identifier 302: a unique identifier that identifies        the message 300.    -   A message text payload 304: text, to be generated by a user via        a UI of the client device 102 and that is included in the        message 300.    -   A message image payload 306: image data, captured by a camera        component of a client device 102 or retrieved from memory of a        client device 102, and that is included in the message 300.    -   A message video payload 308: video data, captured by a camera        component or retrieved from a memory component of the client        device 102 and that is included in the message 300.    -   A message audio payload 310: audio data, captured by a        microphone or retrieved from the memory component of the client        device 102, and that is included in the message 300.    -   Message annotations 312: annotation data (e.g., filters,        stickers, or other enhancements) that represents annotations to        be applied to message image payload 306, message video payload        308, or message audio payload 310 of the message 300.    -   A message duration parameter 314: parameter value indicating, in        seconds, the amount of time for which content of the message        (e.g., the message image payload 306, message video payload 308,        message audio payload 310) is to be presented or made accessible        to a user via the messaging client application 104.    -   A message geolocation parameter 316: geolocation data (e.g.,        latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates) associated with the        content payload of the message. Multiple message geolocation        parameter 316 values may be included in the payload, with each        of these parameter values being associated with respect to        content items included in the content (e.g., a specific image        within the message image payload 306, or a specific video in the        message video payload 308).    -   A message story identifier 318: identifier value identifying one        or more content collections (e.g., “stories”) with which a        particular content item in the message image payload 306 of the        message 300 is associated. For example, multiple images within        the message image payload 306 may each be associated with        multiple content collections using identifier values.    -   A message tag 320: each message 300 may be tagged with multiple        tags, each of which is indicative of the subject matter of        content included in the message payload. For example, where a        particular image included in the message image payload 306        depicts an animal (e.g., a lion), a tag value may be included        within the message tag 320 that is indicative of the relevant        animal. Tag values may be generated manually, based on user        input, or may be automatically generated using, for example,        image recognition.    -   A message sender identifier 322: an identifier (e.g., a        messaging system identifier, email address, or device        identifier) indicative of a user of the client device 102 on        which the message 300 was generated and from which the message        300 was sent.    -   A message receiver identifier 324: an identifier (e.g., a        messaging system identifier, email address, or device        identifier) indicative of user(s) of the client device 102 to        which the message 300 is addressed. In the case of a        conversation between multiple users, the identifier may indicate        each user involved in the conversation.

The contents (e.g., values) of the various components of message 300 maybe pointers to locations in tables within which content data values arestored. For example, an image value in the message image payload 306 maybe a pointer to (or address of) a location within an image table 208.Similarly, values within the message video payload 308 may point to datastored within a video table 210, values stored within the messageannotations 312 may point to data stored in an annotation table 212,values stored within the message story identifier 318 may point to datastored in a story table 206, and values stored within the message senderidentifier 322 and the message receiver identifier 324 may point to userrecords stored within an entity table 202.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating example operations of the messagetransmission system 124 in performing process 500, according to exampleembodiments. The process 500 may be embodied in computer-readableinstructions for execution by one or more processors such that theoperations of the process 500 may be performed in part or in whole bythe functional components of the messaging server system 108, clientdevice 102, or third-party application 105 or combination thereof;accordingly, the process 500 is described below by way of example withreference thereto. In other embodiments, at least some of the operationsof the process 500 may be deployed on various other hardwareconfigurations. The process 500 is therefore not intended to be limitedto the messaging server system 108 and can be implemented in whole, orin part, by any other component. Some or all of the operations ofprocess 500 can be in parallel, out of order, or entirely omitted.

At operation 501, a computing system (e.g., message transmission system124) receives data indicating a level of user engagement with amessaging application for a given user. For example, the user engagementmodule 416 receives data indicating a user engagement level from themetrics collection module 414. The metrics collection module 414generates the metrics of user engagement by monitoring various useractivities performed by users on respective client devices 102 andapplying user engagement models to the activities.

At operation 502, the computing system determines that the level of userengagement is below a specified threshold. For example, the userengagement module 416 compares a value of the level of user engagementto a value of a threshold to determine whether the value of the level ofuser engagement (e.g., medium level of engagement) is lower than a valueof the threshold.

At operation 503, the computing system prioritizes a plurality ofevents, associated with the messaging application, for transmission to aclient device 102 of the given user based on or in response todetermining that the level of user engagement is below the specifiedthreshold. For example, the user engagement module 416 assignspriorities to events or channels (or both) based on the level of userengagement.

At operation 504, the computing system transmits a first event of theplurality of events to the client device based on prioritizing theplurality of events. For example, the user engagement module 416instructs the message transmission module 418 to send an event ormessage to a given client device 102 over one or more channels.Specifically, the user engagement module 416 selects a first messagewith a first priority that is greater than a priority of a secondmessage for transmission to the client device 102. The user engagementmodule 416 selects a first channel associated with a first priority thatis greater than a priority of a second channel for use in transmitting agiven event or message to the client device 102.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example software architecture606, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described. FIG. 6 is a non-limiting example of asoftware architecture and it will be appreciated that many otherarchitectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionalitydescribed herein. The software architecture 606 may execute on hardwaresuch as machine 700 of FIG. 7 that includes, among other things,processors 704, memory 714, and input/output (I/O) components 718. Arepresentative hardware layer 652 is illustrated and can represent, forexample, the machine 700 of FIG. 7 . The representative hardware layer652 includes a processing unit 654 having associated executableinstructions 604. Executable instructions 604 represent the executableinstructions of the software architecture 606, including implementationof the methods, components, and so forth described herein. The hardwarelayer 652 also includes memory or storage modules memory/storage 656,which also have executable instructions 604. The hardware layer 652 mayalso comprise other hardware 658.

In the example architecture of FIG. 6 , the software architecture 606may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer providesparticular functionality. For example, the software architecture 606 mayinclude layers such as an operating system 602, libraries 620,frameworks/middleware 618, applications 616, and a presentation layer614. Operationally, the applications 616 or other components within thelayers may invoke API calls 608 through the software stack and receivemessages 612 in response to the API calls 608. The layers illustratedare representative in nature and not all software architectures have alllayers. For example, some mobile or special purpose operating systemsmay not provide a frameworks/middleware 618, while others may providesuch a layer. Other software architectures may include additional ordifferent layers.

The operating system 602 may manage hardware resources and providecommon services. The operating system 602 may include, for example, akernel 622, services 624, and drivers 626. The kernel 622 may act as anabstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers.For example, the kernel 622 may be responsible for memory management,processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management,networking, security settings, and so on. The services 624 may provideother common services for the other software layers. The drivers 626 areresponsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware.For instance, the drivers 626 include display drivers, camera drivers,Bluetooth® drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers(e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers, audiodrivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on thehardware configuration.

The libraries 620 provide a common infrastructure that is used by theapplications 616 or other components or layers. The libraries 620provide functionality that allows other software components to performtasks in an easier fashion than to interface directly with theunderlying operating system 602 functionality (e.g., kernel 622,services 624 or drivers 626). The libraries 620 may include systemlibraries 644 (e.g., C standard library) that may provide functions suchas memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions,mathematical functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries 620 mayinclude API libraries 646 such as media libraries (e.g., libraries tosupport presentation and manipulation of various media format such asMPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG), graphics libraries (e.g., anOpenGL framework that may be used to render two-dimensional andthree-dimensional in a graphic content on a display), database libraries(e.g., SQLite that may provide various relational database functions),web libraries (e.g., WebKit that may provide web browsingfunctionality), and the like. The libraries 620 may also include a widevariety of other libraries 648 to provide many other APIs to theapplications 616 and other software components/modules.

The frameworks/middleware 618 (also sometimes referred to as middleware)provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may be used by theapplications 616 or other software components/modules. For example, theframeworks/middleware 618 may provide various graphical user interfacefunctions, high-level resource management, high-level location services,and so forth. The frameworks/middleware 618 may provide a broad spectrumof other APIs that may be utilized by the applications 616 or othersoftware components/modules, some of which may be specific to aparticular operating system 602 or platform.

The applications 616 include built-in applications 638 or third-partyapplications 640. Examples of representative built-in applications 638may include, but are not limited to, a contacts application, a browserapplication, a book reader application, a location application, a mediaapplication, a messaging application, or a game application. Third-partyapplications 640 may include an application developed using the ANDROID™or IOS™ software development kit (SDK) by an entity other than thevendor of the particular platform, and may be mobile software running ona mobile operating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, orother mobile operating systems. The third-party applications 640 mayinvoke the API calls 608 provided by the mobile operating system (suchas operating system 602) to facilitate functionality described herein.

The applications 616 may use built-in operating system functions (e.g.,kernel 622, services 624, or drivers 626), libraries 620, andframeworks/middleware 618 to create UIs to interact with users of thesystem. Alternatively, or additionally, in some systems, interactionswith a user may occur through a presentation layer, such as presentationlayer 614. In these systems, the application/component “logic” can beseparated from the aspects of the application/component that interactwith a user.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 700,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.Specifically, FIG. 7 shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine700 in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions710 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, orother executable code) for causing the machine 700 to perform any one ormore of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. As such, theinstructions 710 may be used to implement modules or componentsdescribed herein. The instructions 710 transform the general,non-programmed machine 700 into a particular machine 700 programmed tocarry out the described and illustrated functions in the mannerdescribed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 700 operates as astandalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine 700 may operate in the capacityof a server machine or a client machine in a server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine 700 may comprise, but not be limitedto, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), atablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, acellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device(e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance),other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a networkswitch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing theinstructions 710, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to betaken by machine 700. Further, while only a single machine 700 isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include acollection of machines that individually or jointly execute theinstructions 710 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The machine 700 may include processors 704, memory/storage 706, and I/Ocomponents 718, which may be configured to communicate with each othersuch as via a bus 702. In an example embodiment, the processors 704(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction setcomputing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC)processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor(DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), aradio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or anysuitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor 708and a processor 712 that may execute the instructions 710. The term“processor” is intended to include multi-core processors 704 that maycomprise two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as“cores”) that may execute instructions 710 contemporaneously. AlthoughFIG. 7 shows multiple processors 704, the machine 700 may include asingle processor 708 with a single core, a single processor 708 withmultiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors 708,712 with a single core, multiple processors 708, 712 with multiplecores, or any combination thereof.

The memory/storage 706 may include a memory 714, such as a main memory,or other memory storage, and a storage unit 716, both accessible to theprocessors 704 such as via the bus 702. The storage unit 716 and memory714 store the instructions 710 embodying any one or more of themethodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 710 mayalso reside, completely or partially, within the memory 714, within thestorage unit 716, within at least one of the processors 704 (e.g.,within the processor's cache memory), or any suitable combinationthereof, during execution thereof by the machine 700. Accordingly, thememory 714, the storage unit 716, and the memory of processors 704 areexamples of machine-readable media.

The I/O components 718 may include a wide variety of components toreceive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information,exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/Ocomponents 718 that are included in a particular machine 700 will dependon the type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobilephones will likely include a touch input device or other such inputmechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include sucha touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components 718may include many other components that are not shown in FIG. 7 . The I/Ocomponents 718 are grouped according to functionality merely forsimplifying the following discussion and the grouping is in no waylimiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components 718 mayinclude output components 726 and input components 728. The outputcomponents 726 may include visual components (e.g., a display such as aplasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)),acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., avibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and soforth. The input components 728 may include alphanumeric inputcomponents (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receivealphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumericinput components), point-based input components (e.g., a mouse, atouchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointinginstrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touchscreen that provides location or force of touches or touch gestures, orother tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., amicrophone), and the like.

In further example embodiments, the I/O components 718 may includebiometric components 739, motion components 734, environmentalcomponents 736, or position components 738 among a wide array of othercomponents. For example, the biometric components 739 may includecomponents to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facialexpressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measurebiosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voiceidentification, retinal identification, facial identification,fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram basedidentification), and the like. The motion components 734 may includeacceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensorcomponents, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth.The environmental components 736 may include, for example, illuminationsensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components(e.g., one or more thermometer that detect ambient temperature),humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g.,barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphonesthat detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g.,infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gasdetection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases forsafety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other componentsthat may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding toa surrounding physical environment. The position components 738 mayinclude location sensor components (e.g., a GPS receiver component),altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detectair pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensorcomponents (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 718 may include communication components 740 operableto couple the machine 700 to a network 737 or devices 729 via coupling724 and coupling 722, respectively. For example, the communicationcomponents 740 may include a network interface component or othersuitable device to interface with the network 737. In further examples,communication components 740 may include wired communication components,wireless communication components, cellular communication components,near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g.,Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communicationcomponents to provide communication via other modalities. The devices729 may be another machine 700 or any of a wide variety of peripheraldevices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a USB).

Moreover, the communication components 740 may detect identifiers orinclude components operable to detect identifiers. For example, thecommunication components 740 may include radio frequency identification(RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components,optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detectone-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code,multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Azteccode, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2Dbar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components(e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, avariety of information may be derived via the communication components740, such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location, locationvia Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting a NFC beaconsignal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

Glossary:

“CARRIER SIGNAL,” in this context, refers to any intangible medium thatis capable of storing, encoding, or carrying transitory ornon-transitory instructions 710 for execution by the machine 700, andincludes digital or analog communications signals or other intangiblemedium to facilitate communication of such instructions 710.Instructions 710 may be transmitted or received over the network 106using a transitory or non-transitory transmission medium via a networkinterface device and using any one of a number of well-known transferprotocols.

“CLIENT DEVICE,” in this context, refers to any machine 700 thatinterfaces to a communications network 106 to obtain resources from oneor more server systems or other client devices 102. A client device 102may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop,PDAs, smart phones, tablets, ultra books, netbooks, laptops,multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, or any other communicationdevice that a user may use to access a network 106.

“COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK,” in this context, refers to one or moreportions of a network 106 that may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, anextranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), awireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), ametropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of theInternet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), aplain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephonenetwork, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network, another type of network,or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network106 or a portion of a network may include a wireless or cellular networkand the coupling may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) connection,or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, thecoupling may implement any of a variety of types of data transfertechnology, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology(1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General PacketRadio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long TermEvolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard settingorganizations, other long range protocols, or other data transfertechnology.

“EPHEMERAL MESSAGE,” in this context, refers to a message 300 that isaccessible for a time-limited duration. An ephemeral message may be atext, an image, a video, and the like. The access time for the ephemeralmessage may be set by the message sender. Alternatively, the access timemay be a default setting or a setting specified by the recipient.Regardless of the setting technique, the message 300 is transitory.

“MACHINE-READABLE MEDIUM,” in this context, refers to a component,device, or other tangible media able to store instructions 710 and datatemporarily or permanently and may include, but is not limited to,random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flashmemory, optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types ofstorage (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) or anysuitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers)able to store instructions 710. The term “machine-readable medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media,that is capable of storing instructions 710 (e.g., code) for executionby a machine 700, such that the instructions 710, when executed by oneor more processors 704 of the machine 700, cause the machine 700 toperform any one or more of the methodologies described herein.Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a single storageapparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems or storagenetworks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. The term“machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se.

“COMPONENT,” in this context, refers to a device, physical entity, orlogic having boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branchpoints, APIs, or other technologies that provide for the partitioning ormodularization of particular processing or control functions. Componentsmay be combined via their interfaces with other components to carry outa machine process. A component may be a packaged functional hardwareunit designed for use with other components and a part of a program thatusually performs a particular function of related functions. Componentsmay constitute either software components (e.g., code embodied on amachine-readable medium) or hardware components. A “hardware component”is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various exampleembodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone computersystem, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one ormore hardware components of a computer system (e.g., a processor or agroup of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an applicationor application portion) as a hardware component that operates to performcertain operations as described herein.

A hardware component may also be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. A hardwarecomponent may be a special-purpose processor, such as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. A hardware componentmay also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarilyconfigured by software to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware component may include software executed by a general-purposeprocessor 708 or other programmable processor. Once configured by suchsoftware, hardware components become specific machines (or specificcomponents of a machine 700) uniquely tailored to perform the configuredfunctions and are no longer general-purpose processors 708. It will beappreciated that the decision to implement a hardware componentmechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations. Accordingly, the phrase“hardware component”(or “hardware-implemented component”) should beunderstood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that isphysically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), ortemporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manneror to perform certain operations described herein. Consideringembodiments in which hardware components are temporarily configured(e.g., programmed), each of the hardware components need not beconfigured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example,where a hardware component comprises a general-purpose processor 708configured by software to become a special-purpose processor, thegeneral-purpose processor 708 may be configured as respectivelydifferent special-purpose processors (e.g., comprising differenthardware components) at different times. Software accordingly configuresa particular processor 708 or processors 704, for example, to constitutea particular hardware component at one instance of time and toconstitute a different hardware component at a different instance oftime.

Hardware components can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardwarecomponents may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Wheremultiple hardware components exist contemporaneously, communications maybe achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) between or among two or more of the hardware components. Inembodiments in which multiple hardware components are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such hardwarecomponents may be achieved, for example, through the storage andretrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiplehardware components have access. For example, one hardware component mayperform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memorydevice to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardwarecomponent may then, at a later time, access the memory device toretrieve and process the stored output.

Hardware components may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation). The various operations of example methods described hereinmay be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors 704 thatare temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configuredto perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors 704 may constitute processor-implementedcomponents that operate to perform one or more operations or functionsdescribed herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented component”refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors704. Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor 708 or processors 704being an example of hardware. For example, at least some of theoperations of a method may be performed by one or more processors 704 orprocessor-implemented components. Moreover, the one or more processors704 may also operate to support performance of the relevant operationsin a “cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service”(SaaS). For example, at least some of the operations may be performed bya group of computers (as examples of machines 700 including processors704), with these operations being accessible via a network 106 (e.g.,the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an API).The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine 700, butdeployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, theprocessors 704 or processor-implemented components may be located in asingle geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an officeenvironment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, theprocessors 704 or processor-implemented components may be distributedacross a number of geographic locations.

“PROCESSOR,” in this context, refers to any circuit or virtual circuit(a physical circuit emulated by logic executing on an actual processor708) that manipulates data values according to control signals (e.g.,“commands,” “op codes,” “machine code,” etc.) and which producescorresponding output signals that are applied to operate a machine 700.A processor 708 may, for example, be a CPU, a RISC processor, a CISCprocessor, a GPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a RFIC or any combination thereof. Aprocessor 708 may further be a multi-core processor having two or moreindependent processors 704 (sometimes referred to as “cores”) that mayexecute instructions 710 contemporaneously.

“TIMESTAMP,” in this context, refers to a sequence of characters orencoded information identifying when a certain event occurred, forexample giving date and time of day, sometimes accurate to a smallfraction of a second.

Changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed embodimentswithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. These andother changes or modifications are intended to be included within thescope of the present disclosure, as expressed in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by one or moreprocessors, data indicating a level of user engagement with a messagingapplication for a given user; determining, based on the received data,that the level of user engagement is below a specified threshold;accessing a trained neural network that is trained on a per user basisand based on a set of messages that is received in a conversation inwhich the given user is engaged; applying the trained neural network toadditional data to identify patterns of behavior to generate alikelihood that the given user is interested in the conversation or alikelihood that one message is more important than another message; inresponse to determining that the level of user engagement is below thespecified threshold, prioritizing a plurality of events based on thelikelihood that the given user is interested in the conversation or thelikelihood that one message is more important than another message, fortransmission to a client device of the given user; selecting a firstchannel of a plurality of channels instead of a second channel of theplurality of channels over which to transmit one or more events of theplurality of events based on the first channel consuming a greateramount of resources than the second channel; and transmitting, over thefirst channel, a first event of the plurality of events to the clientdevice based on a result of prioritizing the plurality of events.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: in response to determining thatdelivering more than a threshold number of events to the client devicewithin a given period of time increases a likelihood of the messagingapplication being uninstalled or a notification for the messagingapplication being muted, preventing or delaying transmission of a firstevent of the plurality of events to the client device.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein before transmitting the first event of the plurality ofevents to the client device, the method comprises: in response todetermining that delivering more than a threshold number of events tothe client device within a given period of time increases a likelihoodof the messaging application being uninstalled or a notification for themessaging application being muted, preventing or delaying transmissionof a first event of the plurality of events to the client device; and inresponse to determining that delivering more than the threshold numberof events to the client device within the given period of time does notincrease the likelihood of the messaging application being uninstalledor the notification for the messaging application being muted,transmitting, over the selected first channel, the first event.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the firstchannel is associated with a first priority that is greater than asecond priority associated with the second channel of the plurality ofchannels; and selecting the first channel for transmitting the firstevent instead of the second channel in response to determining that thefirst channel is associated with the first priority that is greater thanthe second priority.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:determining that a second event is associated with the second prioritythat is lower than the first priority; and selecting the second channelfor transmitting the second event instead of the first channel inresponse to determining that the second event is associated with thesecond priority that is lower than the first priority.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining that the first event isassociated with a first priority that is greater than a second priority;and selecting the first channel for transmitting the first event insteadof a second channel in response to determining that the first event isassociated with the first priority that is greater than the secondpriority.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining thata threshold number of events have been transmitted over the firstchannel after the first channel has been selected; and in response todetermining that the threshold number of events have been transmittedover the first channel, selecting a second channel to transmit futureevents instead of the first channel.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein aplurality of channels comprises at least two of: a second channel thatprovides information from a server to the client device in response to arequest from the client device to synchronize information with theserver, the first channel that comprises a bi-directional connectionbetween the client device and a second client device, or a third channelthat provides the information from the server to the client devicewithout receiving a request from the client device.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the first channel comprises a peer-to-peer link betweenthe client device and the second client device that is persistent,wherein the second channel operates according to a pull mechanism, andwherein the third channel operates according to a push mechanism. 10.The method of claim 1, further comprising: selecting a mode oftransmission comprising one of a plurality of channels for transmittingthe first event to the client device based on determining that the levelof user engagement is below the specified threshold.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: accessing a list of events configured forexclusive transmission to users with low level of engagement with themessaging application; and selecting the first event from the list ofevents.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: causing a metricscollection system to generate the data, the metrics collection systembeing implemented on at least one of the client device or a server ofthe messaging application, wherein the data is generated based on useractivity performed on the client device; and applying the data to a userengagement model to compute the level of user engagement for the givenuser.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user activity includes atleast one of frequency of loading the messaging application on theclient device, frequency of sending messages on the client device usingthe messaging application, recency of accessing the messagingapplication on the client device, or viewing messages on the messagingapplication.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of userengagement is one of a first value indicating the given user isunengaged, a second value indicating the given user has low engagement,a third value indicating the given user has medium engagement, or afourth value indicating the given user has high engagement, the firstvalue being lower than the second value, the second value being lowerthan the third value, and the third value being lower than the fourthvalue.
 15. A system comprising: a processor configured to performoperations comprising: receiving data indicating a level of userengagement with a messaging application for a given user; determining,based on the received data, that the level of user engagement is below aspecified threshold; accessing a trained neural network that is trainedon a per user basis and based on a set of messages that is received in aconversation in which the given user is engaged; applying the trainedneural network to additional data to identify patterns of behavior togenerate a likelihood that the given user is interested in theconversation or a likelihood that one message is more important thananother message; in response to determining that the level of userengagement is below the specified threshold, prioritizing a plurality ofevents based on the likelihood that the given user is interested in theconversation or the likelihood that one message is more important thananother message, for transmission to a client device of the given user;selecting a first channel of a plurality of channels instead of a secondchannel of the plurality of channels over which to transmit one or moreevents of the plurality of events based on the first channel consuming agreater amount of resources than the second channel; and transmitting,over the first channel, a first event of the plurality of events to theclient device based on a result of prioritizing the plurality of events.16. The system of claim 15, the operations further comprising: inresponse to determining that delivering more than a threshold number ofevents to the client device within a given period of time increases alikelihood of the messaging application being uninstalled or anotification for the messaging application being muted, preventing ordelaying transmission of a first event of the plurality of events to theclient device.
 17. The system of claim 15, the operations furthercomprising: in response to determining that delivering more than athreshold number of events to the client device within a given period oftime increases a likelihood of the messaging application beinguninstalled or a notification for the messaging application being muted,preventing or delaying transmission of a first event of the plurality ofevents to the client device; and in response to determining based onmore data that delivering more than the threshold number of events tothe client device within the given period of time does not increase thelikelihood of the messaging application being uninstalled or thenotification for the messaging application being muted, transmitting,over the selected first channel, the first event.
 18. The system ofclaim 15, the operations further comprising: determining that the firstchannel is associated with a first priority that is greater than asecond priority associated with the second channel of the plurality ofchannels; and selecting the first channel for transmitting the firstevent instead of the second channel in response to determining that thefirst channel is associated with the first priority that is greater thanthe second priority.
 19. The system of claim 15, the operations furthercomprising: determining that the first event is associated with a firstpriority that is greater than a second priority; and selecting the firstchannel for transmitting the first event instead of the second channelin response to determining that the first event is associated with thefirst priority that is greater than the second priority.
 20. Anon-transitory machine-readable storage medium that includesinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine,cause the machine to perform operations comprising: receiving dataindicating a level of user engagement with a messaging application for agiven user; determining, based on the received data, that the level ofuser engagement is below a specified threshold; accessing a trainedneural network that is trained on a per user basis and based on a set ofmessages that is received in a conversation in which the given user isengaged; applying the trained neural network to additional data toidentify patterns of behavior to generate a likelihood that the givenuser is interested in the conversation or a likelihood that one messageis more important than another message; in response to determining thatthe level of user engagement is below the specified threshold,prioritizing a plurality of events based on the likelihood that thegiven user is interested in the conversation or the likelihood that onemessage is more important than another message, for transmission to aclient device of the given user; selecting a first channel of aplurality of channels instead of a second channel of the plurality ofchannels over which to transmit one or more events of the plurality ofevents based on the first channel consuming a greater amount ofresources than the second channel; and transmitting, over the firstchannel, a first event of the plurality of events to the client devicebased on a result of prioritizing the plurality of events.